John Morris

My 220d MM is badly affected by the crackle it seems to come from the dash centre speaker as if I press down hard on it its stops. On cold mornings its dreadful for a good 10 mins until things warm up. I can't understand why Lexus did not spot this when they tested the car. I noticed that if you switch on the wiper de-icer heater thingy button it seems to warm the area up and stops the noise a bit quicker. Friends who have been in the car are astonished that such an obvious fault has not been sorted before the car went on sale, this plus other bits like the lack of lighting for the mirror adjustment switches, instrucment stalks and interior light buttons really bugs me and makes me wonder how much attention to detail Lexus really put into the car - no way would this happen with Audi, BMW, Honda even.

Well I'm 3 weeks and just shy of 3K miles into my new IS220d MM. Economy 38.6mpg so says the trip computer, better than I feared and might get better after 10K Rattles - I'm paranoid about getting a rattle !! I do have the B pillar rattle but the MM system drowns it out and I'll get it fixed on first service. Build quality is good but nowhere near my previous Audi A4 which was hewn from stone and I remain to be convinced that 12 months on it will be rattle free. Mine is ok at 65mph in 6th but floor the accelerator and the MM suround, dash speaker and something deep in the dash vibrate yes I can drop to 5th but I was hoping for more solidity, again the Audi would be vibration free. I really must stop reading this forum as I find myself switching off the audio to listen for the slightest rattle! Annoyances - the interior light switch buttons and control stalks (indicators,wipers, cruise control etc.) are not illuminated and hence I struggle finding them or using them in the dark, all that effort to create LED lighting in footwells etc. and yet Lexus miss some basics. Should I (or you potential buyer) have gone German? NO - The IS is still special The new A4 due soon hmm.. might be worth waiting for

Thanks Buzz, what a bummer you can get a lot of mp3's on a 6.5gig DVD Cheers for the update

I'm looking to burn my mp3 collection to 1 or more DVD's to stick in the MM multi-changer, does anyone know which DVD disk types to use ie. DVD-RW, DVD+RW etc. I've struggled finding it in the destruction manual and so far tried a 'data DVD' ie. .mp3's written in a folder structure which should be ok but had no joy with DVD-RW. If anyone has it sussed I would greatly apreciate the answer John

Just got my IS220d last week wonderful. I was in 2 minds on the MM kit but it is so much more than just a sat nav. The bluetooth phone is great and works fine at 90mph, the reversing camera is proving useful and very impressive as is watching dvd's in stationery traffic. It is so well integrated with the rest of the car, audio, climate control etc. all controled via touch screen it should be standard. So far (7 days) the sat nav has proved pretty accurate. The best bit for me is that after you enter your destination, it advises constantly of jams or delays on route even telling you how long the que's are or for how long there is slow traffic, road works, lane closures etc. something I think you pay extra for on protable sat navs. plus there is no hassle charging batteries, wires and the dam thing stuck in your line of site. I came on the site tonight to find out how to burn my mp3 collection to a single DVD, something not possible without MM. Great choice of car you'll love it especially with MM

Just taken delivery today of my IS 220D ! Had a quick look through the manuals but can't see any reference to running in Is there any guidance on keeping below certain revs. etc. for 1st 1,000 miles or so?? Any advice ?

You mention your car just got here on a boat from Japan, I'm waiting on an IS220d from a leasing company (company car) and they insist it will be mid Jan, a wait from my ordering of 16 weeks! Do you think it might be here now and they'r waiting to register it as a 2007 car? Does anyone know how often the cars come in and when the next shipment is due? Come on Lexus dealers cheer me up and tell me there's a boat due soon

It may be because of your age, being the paranoid type, I always read the small print on the insurance waiver I'm asked to sign when getting a courtesey car and it often reads age over 25.

Thanks for the update on delivery times, my IS was due today but has been put back to mid Jan 07 I spotted a transporter full of brand new IS's heading north towards Scotland today, sat behind it for a few miles drooling and weeping!

My work pays £470 for 220d SE manual and £469 for 220d base with multimedia. This is 30K per annum full maintenance ie. just put fuel in all else inclusive. The leasing firm divides the list price of options eg. auto by 36 and adds to the monthly charge. I assume the numbers include VAT, from memory the petrol was very similar.

Colin great choice, I frequent the M8, Glasgow/Edinburgh most days and have spotted 3 IS's on my normal run in to work, 1*black, 1*silver,1 green. I'm gutted as my new IS was due for delivery 24th October but a mess up at work/leasing company has delayed it until mid Jan 07 total bummer! I'm glad to hear the consumption and 6th gear problems seem to be fixed. Would appreciate knowing who is best for service Lex Glasgow or Lex Edinburgh From 1 very bored A4 driver enjoy

The leasing company is charging my firm £410 for base Is20d and £469 with the MM, the SE is £470 however metalic paint is list price/36 which means I end up buying the paint !! I ordered Astral Black which is solid hence no extra charge but the leasing company can only get me Velvet Black which is metalic and suposed to be pretty dam cool looking I'm told, you might get away with metalic foc. The Alfa I tried had leather and was very sexy. I know what you mean regards the MM it is very expensive but I've had enought of driving around with TomTom, mobile phones and ipods plugged into my fag lighter and a mass of wires running everywhere. With the Lex, you walk up leaving keys in pocket (keyless entry), immiediately my bluetooth mobile connects again leaving it in my top pocket, I can voice dial most numbers and easily hold a handsfree conversation at high motorway speeds because there is little if any noise. Regards the vibrating mirror and 6th gear, I can only go off my 4 day test drive. I tend to drive around 85-90 and I found 6th wonderful cruising along in the low 2000'ish rpms. 5th felt like top in my A4 or 6th in a 3 series so I would look on it as an overdrive. I found the rear view mirror vibration to be neausious especially if you are trying to suss out if the car appoaching at speed from behind is a copper! I can't understand why Lexus did not spot this and sort it out before launch, I wonder if they played with the final drive ratios until the emissions and mpg fitted their needs and did'nt bother to check if it affected the car !!! I have read posts saying it can be fixed with carful adjustment.

RedDom, you are in the position I was 2 months back, which company car to go for. I ended up with 3 on the list, Alfa 159, A4 Tdi (new 170bhp) and IS220D. I tried the Alfa for an hour, its a fantastic looking car, which felt more spacious than the IS. The engine felt slightly more responsive (less turbo lag) but not really any quicker than the IS. The main issues I had with the 159 were road / wind noise and a plain interior. If I had not tried the IS (see my earlier post comparing IS220d with a 320d), these issues would probably not have entered my mind and the drop dead looks of the 159 would have won. Its also a lot cheaper on car tax. So I had decided on an IS220d for £40 a month I could upgrade to an SE with leather and 17' alloys but for £30 a month i could get base with Multimedia which has to be experienced to be appreciated. IMHO the MM is far nicer to have than leather, it has the best sat nav. in any car including the ability to actively plot traffic jams on the map. The thing plays DVD's in 5.1 surround sound has bluetooth phone which because the Lexus is so quiet can be used no prob. at 90mph, there is voice activated control for most functions (AC,audio,phone,sat nav. etc.) and the reversing camera is so so sexy and impressive. The leather does little for me but the larger wheels are a big turn on, I know every time I look at the base IS I'll think why did I not get the SE but when I get in and see that glorious MM kit I hope I'll have made the right decision.

I found the following link useful http://www.lexus.com/models/bluetooth/index.html?model=LX some of the phones have UK equivalents. I understand the transfer number 1 by 1 is a security feature of some manufacturers to stop people downloading all your contacts and that Sony Erricson does not enable this feature hence should be ok. I've also read that sometimes having +44 international prefix can cause problems and not sure if multiple numbers for the same contact always transfer I've gone for a Sony 510i and can try it out on 24th Oct when my IS arrives !!! can't wait

I wonder if the IS demonstrators given to journalists to test and write up reports on had the dodgy injectors? Virtually all of them gave the 220D a slagging for poor performance and the inability to use 6th on the motorway

I've read elsewhere in the forums about new fuel injectors being fitted to later 220d's due to poor economy. Lexus/Toyota have also fitted them to Avensis and Rav4's, maybe worth having a word with the dealer see if they can be retro fitted

I've read elsewhere in the forums about new fuel injectors being fitted to later 220d's due to poor economy. Lexus/Toyota have also fitted them to Avensis and Rav4's, maybe worth having a word with the dealer see if they can be retro fitted

Thanks for the feedback on my report. I was interested to see that you had a velvet black IS, mine is due 24th October and Lexus tell me it will be Velvet black not Astral black as I requested (it's a company purchase) is it true the Velvet is a metalic not solid paint as per the Astral? it's a daft question but is it very different from Astral? It sounds like I will get a 2007 spec car, anyone know the differences, the US site does not go into much detail. Any Lexus dealers out there give us some clues !! it might be worth your while, I just know when my new IS appears in the car park, the Audi/BM boys will be itching to swap :D

I understand the problem with Nokia mobiles is that for security reasons they only allow 1 contact entry to be sent at a time to stop people connecting and raiding all your contacts in 1 hit I suppose. Sony cetainly the older T68 models do not have this security feature and work ok. I had a Motorola MPX220 smartphone running Windows Phone edition and it worked no problem. I have also read of problems with Outlook sync in that it will only send 1 of the various numbers you can store against a contact eg. Work but not Home or vice versa and some problems if you have an international dial code on the number eg. +44 One last point, not sure the accuracy of this but newer Bluetooth, I think v 1.2 is worse than the old versions ie. the Lexus has an older Bluetooth compatibility than the newer phones, something BMW might be better at dam!

I've got an IS220D on order for delivery 24th October 06, originally asked for 'Astral Black' but Lexus are saying the October cars are 'Velvet Black', I've searched Google for Velvet Black but little comes back. Are there new colours in the pipeline or might I be getting an 'import car', as its a company car comming via a leasing company, do these things happen with Lexus? if so will the spec. be UK

This if my first post... BMW 320d v Lexus IS220d The following is my impressions of the two cars after a 4 day evaluation. Background, to help me decide on my comapany provided wheels for the next 3 years and circa 120,000 miles, I managed to get a 4 day test drive of each of the cars ie. drop off monday morning collect friday afternoon. While I live in Lancashire (North West of England), I work monday to friday in Scotland and so I had the chance to take in various driving conditions the basics of which were Motorway M6, M74 - North of Lancaster the M6 has next to no traffic so a sustained 90mph on cruise control is possible for many interupted miles (total bliss!) A701 - This is the scenic route from M74 to Edinburgh and is in my oppinion one of the best driving roads in the country, 50 miles of empty tarmac with fabulous bends and the ability to see well into the distance for on-comming traffic a joy to drive and a real test of a cars handling and composure. Motorway M8 - typical stop start and bumper to bumper sub 70mph motorway slog on a par with the worst bits of M1, M6, M25 - horrible but bearable in the right car. Glasgow and Edinburgh city centre - typical big city congestion and third world standard pot holed roads. First impressions Lexus - driver arrived at 7.30am, car was exactly as requested and spotless clean. model IS220d base model with multimedia upgrade (Mark L. stereo, sat.nav, bluetooth), Messa Red, beidge interior. Mileage 7,000 BMW - driver arrived early afternoon car was not as requested (320dES not 320dSE). Car was brand new, Black, black interior with only 500 miles on the clock Winner Lexus Looks and style Lexus - very good looking car although 17inch alloys finish it off to perfection, wife was deeply impressed stating no way could I get this car way to posh, neighbour opposite came over to admire the car though it was fantastic, other neighbour loved it but was not happy as reckons its much nicer than his A4. BMW - very boring, no one noticed, wife instantly disliked it saying it was dull and dismal, I had to agree it did not feel in the least bit special Winner Lexus Interior space, driving environment Lexus - superb in the front, difficult to get into in the back and definitely on the tight side (tough on the kids then!). Cockpit and instruments exude quality and really make you feel special, seat adjustment is easy, hand brake is too high and has to be pulled very hard to engage but a very very nice place to be for hours on end. Boot is not very big but I can put a top box on for holidays. BMW - space in front and back is better than Lexus, boot is bigger plus no spare wheel. Cockpit quality is very good possibly slightly better than Lexus (not up to Audi standards) but it is all so dull, boring, functional and does not justify the high price. The seats are hard to adjust (dangerous if on the move!) as the height requires you to lift your body weight and let the seat catch you up, seatback adjustment is via a lever and you end up too far back or forward, much prefer the Lexus rotary nob. BMW seem to have addopted Vauxhalls daft one touch approach to control stalks and with the wipers I was never sure what they were set to, please can manufacturers leave one touch well alone. Overall the BMW cockpit would have been ok in a base model mondeo or vectra but is simply outclassed by the luxury of the Lexus. Winner BMW for space, Lexus for environment you takes your pick Gearbox / gearing Lexus - notchy from first to second, slightly long throw but perfectly useable, reverse easy to find. I have read numerous critisism of the high Lexus gearing, I agree it is not perfect and can lead to the car labouring but for me I loved the very high 6th gear, at 85-95mph were many of us drive when conditions allow, it is perfect leading to turbine smooth relaxed low rev. crusing. 60-70 on off driving on a congested motorway would suit 5th better which feels like top on most cars. BMW - very notchy and rather unpleasant, this could be down to low mileage and seemed to improve noticeably if you pushed the clutch to the floor when changing but this is not how I like to drive. Reverse was very challenging to engage often needing several very hard and unatural pushs downwards and across to engage. BMW have got the gearing spot on if only the box shifted better, see what you think I may have got a duffer as I normally love BMW gearboxes. Winner - a draw, BMW if you get one with a good gearbox Engine and performance Lexus - The Lexus diesel engine was beautifully smooth and quiet and I really can't recognise the critisim motoring jornos have made. The power delivery is not as uniform as the BMW with a noticable lag till approx 1,800rpm when a huge dollop of power and torque kicks in followed by a tail off around 4,000rpm. If it were not compared to the BMW, the power delivery would be seen as fabulous but it always seems to take a fraction longer to respond and wind up the power than the BMW. Refinment wise, I think the Lexus has the edge, more because it issolates engine rumble and noise better. There is no way I'm going back to petrol now we have such fantastic diesels. The Lexus is a little slow of the mark but in the right gear it goes like stink with effortless overtaking ability. On clear motorways you really need cruise control as the very tall 6th lulls you into a perception of slower speed, take your eye of the ball and you are hitting 120mph in no time and with the supreme quietness of the car it feels like 70mph BMW - This engine is equally impresive for smoothness and quietness however it has the edge in terms of power delivery with a broad power/torque band very similar to a petrol. The engine intrudes into the cockpit more with noticeable rumble if your hand is sat on the gear stick at idel and a definite vibration through the clutch pedal if you leave your foot resting gently on the pedal at speed as I do. The BMW also provides storming performance and instant overtaking wallop, this is a seriously quick point to point car. Winner - BMW by a fraction but both are superb Economy Lexus - I was deeply worried about fuel economy after reading scare stories of low 30's mpg. My economy over 761.1 miles was exactly 42mpg both from the on-board computer and by brimming and refilling the tank. Much better than I expected and close to my present A4 TDI average of 45mpg BMW - I was expecting the BMW to wipe the floor with the Lexus and get close to 45/46mpg. Over 648.4 miles I averaged 42.5mpg again by on-board computer and tank briming. I expect the BMW will probably increase by 10% once it lossens up but not the convincing win I expected. Winner - BMW Drive,suspension and Handling Lexus - After reading the press mags, I was expecting a disapointing drivers car however the Lexus handled precisely and kept its composure very well down the A701. The car goes exactly where you want it to and does not roll or heave around the bends. It also has excelent streight line stability making overtaking artics/tractors on narrow roads/lanes very confident. The ride and suspension are lovely and smooth unquestionably better than the BMW on good surfaces the ride is like gliding on air. Potholes and road noise are very well subdued. BMW - One thing the jornos have got right is the BMW being a drivers car, it really does handle fantastic and you find yourself bombing down roads at a far higher speed than you would think possible. The ride and suspension are very good but definitely harder than the Lexus and a little more tiring on a long bumpy journey. On two occasions the BMW tail swung out then re-bit the road and streightend up nothing too off putting but somehow the numerous stability controls seemed to be asleep. Note I'm not one for switching such devices off. Overall if you live for driving like a bat out of hell and value this above a comfortable, soft, compliant ride, the BMW is for you but the Lexus is perfectly ok for me. Winner - BMW for racers, Lexus for occasional racers Equipment and value for money Lexus - this is a no contest for me, the Lexus smashes the BMW on standard kit and equipment. The attention to detail is fantastic and the little things I though were gimmicks such as puddle lights and keyless entry are truely desirable once you have tried them. My car came with the ammitedly expensive multimendia upgrade, Mark Levison stereo (no I don't know who he is either), sat nav, bluetooth, DVD player and reversing camera, its worth every penny. Check your mobile will bluetooth and transfer address book numbers as there are some compatibility concerns and I would rather have had digital radio than the additional speakers and amps which can't be appreciated when listening to Radio 4/5. I'm dreading replacing the Lexus in 3 years as it has every toy I can imagine absolutely fantastic and great value for money. The DVD player let me watch the Simpsons when sat in stationery traffic - tops! BMW - What a disapointment the 320d ES was. The radio is confusing and overly complicated, the ES has manual aircon no climate control or separate zones, there is no cruise control, the drivers arm rest is set too far back and for me was an uncomfortable obstacle which you can't move, you can upgrade to a sliding arm rest for peanuts but why don't BMW just provide this as standard? The interior made me feel like I was driving a bargin basement bottom of the range former eastern block car. I know this is one up from the bottom of the 3 series range and all my criticisms can be put right by buying options but the spec. and drab interior look was way behind Fords, Vauxhalls, Hondas et al and yet the price is way above. Dealer service Lexus - Went to Lexus Glasgow one evening rush hour to see an IS in the flesh, the sales woman was superb, taking time to tell me all about the car despite me saying it was a company purchase and all they might get by way of a sale was the servicing. A traffic warden approached and they offered to move my car for me and avoid a ticket, they also offered to ring me when they had the colour I wanted so I could see it. I felt very wanted and special - fantastic. BMW - Went to BMW dealer (name witheld) and asked about 3 series, the sales man pointed and said 'have a look they are all parked outside' and walked off needless to say so did I. Winner - Lexus Niggles - Rear view mirror vibrates on motorway making it very difficult to spot police cars from behind and making you feel ill over time, digital radio would be good, 17 inch alloys on base model would be good Overall - You can probably tell I was very impressed with the IS220D, so much so I have ordered one and it arrives 24th October !!!! can't wait. I've read pretty much every IS review (Whatcar, Topgear, AutoExpress,Autocar,Test Drive,Fifth Gear, nearly spent more on car mags than on the eventual car and stressed Google to breaking point with searches) and I can truly say many of them are so so off the mark with their obsession with the 3 series, its good but simply not as good as the IS. The IS is a car that makes you feel very special every time you drive it, gets lots of attention and is fantatstic if you have to spend hours every day at the wheel. Hope this helps you decide which is best Hope I'm still impressed 3 years and 120,000 miles from now